Offering
by Amentet
Summary: A journey into the rituals of the past drudge up unforseen danger. Rated M to be safe.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Aliens or Predator...just my own junk.**

**FYI...The following story is in no way, shape, or form an accurate representation of history (duh). I've taken certain liberties and twisted certain stuff around for entertainment value. So, all you history buffs out there, I'm sorry!**

Offering

Prologue

Tenochtitlan, Valley of Mexico 1382 AD

Today was a very special day. It was the most important day of her too short life and the entire village had turned out to celebrate her passing into the next world. There was no fear on her part. Why would there be? Her name would live on forever in the stories her people would pass down through the generations. Her final resting place would be one of great honor and prestige. If anything, she was humbled.

She trembled in anxious anticipation as the older women of the village fussed over her. She looked on with wide, sparkling brown eyes as gnarled, wrinkled fingers braided the ceremonial feathers into her raven hair while others smoothed the vibrant red and blue pant over her forehead and cheeks. She didn't question or protest when those same hands seized her by the arms and hauled her to her feet. Excitement coursed through her veins. It was time.

Religious chants and the rhythmic pounding of drums greeted her as she stepped out into the open. The beat seemed to vibrate throughout her entire body to rattle her very soul. A crowd had gathered and stretched all the way from the humble hut she had shared with her family to the base of the Temple. The knowledge that they had all come to see her fufill her destiny filled her with pride. The simple fact that she had even been chosen for such a tribute would no doubt call down the blessings of the gods upon her family. How could she not be proud?

Head held high, she made her way toward the Temple. Escorted by tribal elders and wailing women who ripped at their hair in lamentation at her passing, she moved confidently, proudly. Those she passed bowed their heads in reverence, their softly whispered prayers barely audible to her ears over the drummers. She smiled. The importance of what she was about to do was not lost to them. Through her sacrifice her people would be blessed. The gods would be generous.

The winding path of the procession soon brought her before the Temple. Awe filled her at being allowed so near such a hallowed structure. Built by her people especially to cater to the needs of the gods, to even stand before it was a great honor. To be asked to enter and do the gods' bidding bordered on the miraculous. Feeling suddenly unworthy of this gift, she fell to her knees in reverence, in worship.

The Priest, their heavenly liason, in all his regal glory stood suddenly before her. Dutifully, she leaned forward and rested her forehead against the ground as she recieved his blessing for a peaceful journey into the afterlife. His words seeped into her very core as he reinforced the idea of just how big of a responsibility she now shouldered. From her death would come life and for that she would be rewarded on the other side, the gods would see to it.

At his command, she stood and allowed him to guide her up the Temple stairs, toward the heavens, where the gods dwelled. With each step her heart pounded harder within her chest. Her trembling grew more pronounced. A knot formed in her stomach. Few mortal men, save the priest, had ever walked this route. She was one of the few, the chosen. She was undeserving of such a privilege. Yet, here she was...a living offering to the gods.

Their ascent ended much too soon and she found herself standing before an altar. The gods were there in all their otherworldly essence, awaiting her arrival. She knelt humbly, averting her eyes lest she look upon them and be struck dead by their divine presence. There were no words spoken, merely a silent exchange between the Priest and those he served before he retreated back the way they had come, leaving her to her fate.

XXXXXXXXXX

It was much cooler inside the Temple than it had been outside. The chilly stone slab she lay upon did not help matters. Had her blood not been pounding so hard through her veins she may have been cold. Her clothing had been carefully cut away from her body while she had been slumbering. Her last conscious memory before waking was of what could have only been Xipe Totec, in all his fearsome glory, as he towered over her prone form.

"My god..." She had whispered as he approached with blessing in hand. "My life for you..."

A tired smile stretched her blood-flecked lips as she spread her hands across her naked breasts. She could feel the life pulsing beneath her fingers as it coiled deep within her chest, a precious gift placed there by Xipe Totec, himself. She would bear this burden glady. Stretching languidly, her smile faltered at the first twinge of discomfort. Her smile disappeared altogether as a sharp, stabbing pain radiated through her chest.

The insistent movement within her became more frenzied. She moaned and writhed on the slab, the fruits of the gods pushing against her ribs from the inside. Another strong labor pang and the sound of cracking bone filled the empty chamber. Her scream, as the being she incubated broke through the final barrier separating it from the world, echoed throughout the inside of the Temple announcing the birth to the divine beings that dwelled there.

Her head slammed back against the stone in exhaustion as the creature climbed free of her body. She had fufilled her purpose, her work was done. The cold began to seep into her then as the blood which had once warmed her pooled around her on the stone slab. Her heart stuttered and her lungs struggled for breath. The only sound in the chamber a quiet hissing. Lifting her head using what was left of her remaining strength, she caught only the briefest glimpse of what she had borne before death claimed her. Her final thought was that truly she had produced a child worthy of the gods.

To be continued...

**Author's Note: Alrighty, I've been saving this one for a rainy day. Its been sitting on my computer tucked away in a 'trash' folder. I dug it out the other day when I was cleaning up odds and ends on my computer and figured I might be able to polish it up enough to post and make a half-way decent story out of it. I guess time will tell. Let me know what you think if you feel so inclined. I'm not too sure about this one.**

**Tet**


End file.
